Zora’s baby, the CERV I, started every mid-engine Corvette rumor in the last 50-plus years

Did he plan to take it racing? Did he plan to use it as a testbed for exotic materials? Or did Zora Arkus-Duntov have something else in mind when he laid out the mid-engine CERV I experimental car? Whatever his intentions, he set off decades of rumors that the next generation of the Corvette would follow in that configuration, and now that one-off 200-MPH racer has been slated for auction this fall.

Conceived after encountering problems with the Corvette SS while at Sebring in 1957, the open-wheel mid-engine Chevrolet Engineering Research Vehicle ostensibly was to serve as a dual-purpose race car: Duntov reportedly specified its 96-inch wheelbase and 56-inch track width with the Indianapolis 500 in mind, and he also seemed determined to compete with the CERV at Pikes Peak.

However, with GM’s racing ban still in place in the late 1950s, Duntov needed a better reason than racing or “because I said so” to get official approval for the car. For that reason – and to see just how light he could get the car – he had it built with a 125-pound chromium-molybdenum steel tubular space frame, an 80-pound two-layer fiberglass body, and a 350-pound aluminum small-block V-8 engine with magnesium components. Total weight came in at 1,450 pounds dry. The mid-engine design would also explore the performance capabilities of transaxles, which were then coming into vogue at GM, as well as leaf-sprung independent rear suspensions, which Duntov eyed for the second-generation Corvette.

According to Karl Ludvigsen’s Corvette: America’s Star-Spangled Sports Car, Chevrolet officially considered the car “a research tool for Chevrolet’s continuous investigations into automotive ride and handling phenomena under the most realistic conditions,” though Ludvigsen noted that Duntov and his crew would swing wildly from objective to objective with the car through its development. “Somehow it survived these vicissitudes to keep alive the concept of exciting cars at Chevrolet and to serve as a vital link between the racing Corvette SS of 1957 and the Corvette Sting Ray of 1963.”

Assisting Duntov were engineers Harold Krieger and Walt Zetye and designers Larry Shinoda and Tony Lapine. In less than nine months, they completed the car and debuted it privately at Pikes Peak, where Duntov subjected it to dozens of runs up a section of the auto road, then publicly in November at the Riverside Grand Prix, where Duntov shared driving privileges with Dan Gurney and Stirling Moss.

With its original all-aluminum and fuel-injected 353-hp, 283-cu.in. V-8, Duntov could break 170 MPH in CERV, but he wanted more power to course through its four-speed transaxle. Over the next four years, Duntov and his crew experimented with as many as six more engines, including a 500-hp twin-turbocharged and fuel-injected version, a 420-hp supercharged version, and the naturally aspirated Hilborn cross-ram fuel-injected 377-cu.in. version currently powering it. The latter powered CERV to its fastest recorded speed: 206 MPH at GM’s Milford Proving Grounds.

While Duntov discontinued CERV’s development in about 1964 to focus on CERV II, Chevrolet kept it around until 1972, when it donated the car to Briggs Cunningham’s museum. Miles Collier then bought it and CERV II from Cunningham in 1986 and eventually split the two apart, selling the latter to collector John Moores and the first CERV to Mike Yager of Mid America Motorworks.

Yager, who displayed CERV I in his MY Garage Museum, has recently put a number of cars from his collection up for sale, including almost a dozen this past May at the Mecum Indianapolis auction. At the time, he said that the cars he’s putting up for sale are mostly race cars or duplicates. “We’re repositioning a bunch of cars in the collection, trying to get more unique and one-off Corvettes,” he said. “There’s a few cars that I’d still like to own and a few less buildings that I’d like to fill.”

Ray in PAsays:

July 9, 2015 9:27 am

jack roebersays:

July 9, 2015 9:52 am

I know all to well that I’ll never have the required green to even think about owning Zora’s car, but it sure would be fun. I can dream about starting it up in the garage and annoying the neighbors. Then just think about driving down the two lane road next to my house rather briskly and annoying more distant neighbors. I sure hope the next owner keeps the car operational not salted away in a museum.
Jack

Brucesays:

July 9, 2015 9:54 am

In the late 60’s my brother in-law, who worked for Chevrolet engineering, at the GM tech ctr in Warren, Michigan brought home a Corvette with the rear window all covered and a very large rear view mirror sticking out of the top of the roof. I remember him saying it was to test what it would be like to drive a mid engine Corvette with no rear window.

Redsays:

July 9, 2015 10:05 am

Too bad this car couldn’t be sent to Chevrolet Dealerships for short visits-something that could draw potential customers into their showroom not only to see this vintage racer and probably give a little shot of excitement to us who remember Chevrolets glory days! Sales may even increase?
Yager got smart not going back to the fat man to handle his business! Total fees must have been too high at Indy he learned.
Less buildings to fill? Must be pretty small buildings if this less than 1500 pound vehicle is in your way!
And another rich guy will get another toy…

Kirk P. Fletchersays:

July 9, 2015 11:19 am

At one time in history both the CERV I and the CERV II sat side by side on display in Reno, NV. Bill Harrah had them on display as they were on loan. My Dad was friends with Bill Harrah and Bill personally gave our family a private tour of his main facility including one of the back areas were cars were being stored waiting on restoration. I remember him telling us that it was the first time these two cars had been parked next to each other on public display.

Douglas Martinsays:

July 9, 2015 11:22 am

CERV had no transaxle per se but transmission and quick change final drive in line, mass centered within wheelbase. Arrangement much like current Corvette transaxle. CERV was interesting more original take on vehicle design compared to derivative Corvette SS chassis arrangement, although SS rear suspension (ignore poor bushing specifications) was elegant.

howiesays:

July 9, 2015 11:58 am

paulsays:

July 9, 2015 12:30 pm

John C. Kovalosays:

July 9, 2015 12:23 pm

The it-doesn’t-look-like-a-Buick lady is saying in my head “It doesn’t LOOK like a ‘Vette!

It makes ME wonder what it would’ve evolved into if they’d campaigned it at Indy and perhaps the Grand Prix circuit, learning and making updated models from year to year – could it have changed the course of racing history?

Sean Mulladysays:

July 12, 2015 1:29 pm

Jim Kroegersays:

July 9, 2015 1:04 pm

A great looking car that was even better with the original Halibrand wheels and 18″/15″ Firestone Indy tires. Just like roadsters of that era, the car had better proportions overall with those than the 15″ wide tread tires mounter later and shown in this configuration of the car.

David Bsays:

July 9, 2015 1:36 pm

Looks like it could use a front end alignment? Sure love seeing all the experimental vehicles that were built back in 50s and early 60s. Some of those fellas had their thinking caps on. How to squeeze the most out of the least.

Lensays:

July 9, 2015 1:54 pm

Bruce MacLeishsays:

July 9, 2015 3:17 pm

I am not sure, but just wondering if those wheels (and the “lawn-roller” tires) were available in the later ’50s, when the car was first built. Can anyone identify the wheels, as to maker and date? You guys seem to know an awful lot!

Jim Kroegersays:

July 10, 2015 7:14 am

Jason Herringsays:

July 10, 2015 12:32 pm

The newly added bottom photo showing Duntov at the wheel, with the car parked in the dirt with the knobby tires in the back, shows the rims that appear to be narrow Halibrands, which were appropriate for the late ’50s “roadster era” Indy racers.

July 12, 2015 1:07 am

Jerry Serwaltsays:

July 9, 2015 4:39 pm

Wish this thing had turned a few laps at Indy with a good driver just to see how it compared with the best cars of that time period. Of course, stock block engines were limited to only 256 inches at the time (1964), unblown.

David Bsays:

July 9, 2015 9:46 pm

1964 all that could be built was to 256 cubic inches? 1957 was the 283 and 1958 was the 348. Chevrolet engines of course. It has to be so much fun to build what ever one could dream unlike today and all the restrictions. A good friends new Honda broke down because a oil sensor on a rocker arm quit working and told the computer there wasn’t any oil. 387 dollars and many hours dealing with this issue ruining his vacation (July 4th). How absurd!

Jerry Serwaltsays:

July 10, 2015 10:05 am

Dave, The 256 ci I mentioned was the limit for stock block engines, unblown, to be raced at Indy. There has always been a limit on engine size depending on type of engine. It is changed from time to time.

Lensays:

July 10, 2015 7:58 am

Notice that add-on big plastic “spoiler” on the middle of the nose. While it was obviously put there to help cooling, it would have cut nose lift as well. Crude but effective… If the Indy car guys had known anything at all about aero and down-force in the 1950s and early 60s we would have seen 200MPH laps back then.

Lensays:

July 10, 2015 9:06 am

Chrissays:

July 9, 2015 11:09 pm

Mikesays:

July 15, 2015 1:39 am

The photo of the car with Zora at the helm was taken on Pikes Peak during test runs. I have seen a few photos of the tests on Pikes Peak as well as a video clip of it. What a spectacular car being showcased on America’s Mountain Pikes Peak. Awwww….the good old days!

Robert DeMarssays:

May 21, 2016 10:57 pm

Robert DeMars Ltd, of San Francisco, my firm, performed an extensive ‘Historical Perspective Appraisal ‘ of the CERV 1 and CERV II for the Atty General, State of Calif, in GM ownership dispute late 80s.
Incredibly important and valuable Zora Arkus Duntov, Corvette
History Race Cars !
Priceless then and today !
I California Drag raced ‘ Fuelies ‘ , year round, w/ Dyno Don Nicholson (my Mechanic) 1958 to 62 – power shifting down the 1/4 Mile. Piloting my Red Rocket, I was turning 113 in 11:80 at Pomona by late 1959 – early 60 (in B Modified Sports) w/ stroked, 352 Cubes. Corked up w/ street tires that Rocket Sled Terror was also my occasional Street Driver !
The Veyrons of the day – we
Fuelie Drivers were Kings of the Road and Duntov was our Guru!